Today, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) does not have the capability to automatically track mail as it passes from MPM (mail processing machine) to MPM and from city to city within the USPS's national network, i.e., the USPS infrastructure. Mailers only have visibility to mail pieces when mail reaches its final destination via certain USPS offerings such as Delivery Confirmation.
The prior art is replete with user queries to mail piece databases. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,509 (Byford) describes a parcel trace system which keeps updated tracking information in a database accessible by customers via the Internet. U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,487 (Yeung) describes an electronic manifest that is reconciled with barcoded information on each parcel as the parcels are sorted. U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,819 (Knowles et al.) describes a Web-based package routing, tracking, and delivery system that makes package information accessible by customers via the Internet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,382 (Ulvr et al.) describes a bar code with a tracker element in it so that tracking information is accessible by customers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,403 (Allum et al.) describes a bar code and system which allows a customer to track and trace a parcel throughout the sortation system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,908 (Manduley et al.) describes a self-monitoring mail delivery system which allows a customer to access package tracking information. U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,051 (Brigida et al.) describes a parcel tracking system which sends parcel status information to a central data location. U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,694 (Tuhro) describes an embedded postal code which permits tracking a piece of mail through the mail handling system.